The present application is concerned with a mould tool component. Specifically, the present application is concerned with a mould tool component for use in a heated mould, more specifically, the type of mould which comprises a plurality of fluid cavities for selective heating of various zones across the mould.
Heated mould tools are known from the present applicant's previous application, WO2011/048365. That application discloses a mould tool having a number of pins which contain cavities for the introduction of a heated or cooled fluid in order to control the surface temperature of the mould tool during a moulding operation. This is useful for selectively controlling the material properties during, for example, moulding and out-of-autoclave curing of a composite workpiece.
The applicants subsequent application WO 2013/021195, discloses a multi-layered mould tool in which an upper mould tool component is provided having a number of fluid cavities. The upper mould tool component comprises a number of tessellated zones each having a mould face for moulding of the component as well as a temperature control face opposite to the mould face adjacent a cavity into which heating/cooling fluid is introduced. Each cavity has a side wall in order to contain the fluid therein. The heating/cooling fluid then heats/cools the temperature control face and therefore the mould face. The heating/cooling fluid is introduced via a conduit from a lower layer where control and heating electronics are stored. Exhaust fluid from the upper tool is exhausted back down through an intermediate layer.